Rumour: Nintendo Switch Uses NVIDIA’s Maxwell Architecture

There is still much that we don’t know about Nintendo Switch, and, while we await the Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017, we’re left with a continual stream of rumours to speculate over.

GamesBeat reports that sources have indicated that the home gaming system will be less powerful than the PlayStation 4, with the graphics technology based on NVIDIA’s Maxwell architecture. That means that, alone, it won’t be able to run high-end games that are releasing on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Their sources indicate that Nintendo was in such a rush to replace Wii U that they weren’t prepared to wait to implement NVIDIA’s Pascal architecture and instead pressed on with their plans. If Nintendo had decided to wait, Nintendo Switch would not have been able to release in March 2017.

Nintendo Switch development kits use a Tegra X1-based system, with there being an expectation that the final chip will be a custom version.

The choice to have Maxwell graphics embedded in the ARM-based Tegra processor is more around making sure that they have an integrated chip that consumes less space, requires less power, and reduces costs in comparison to needing two chips to achieve the same purpose inside the Nintendo Switch Console.

GamesBeat expects Nintendo Switch to allow more than 1 teraflop in performance, which is lower when measured against the PlayStation 4 at around 1.8 teraflops and Microsoft’s Project Scorpio that promises to be the most powerful console ever with 6 teraflops.

Nintendo Switch will release worldwide in March 2017.

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After starting out with a Yellow Game Boy and a copy of Donkey Kong Land, Alex once hid in his room to play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time one Christmas. Now he shares his thoughts on Nintendo Insider, keeping track of everything to do with Nintendo.